


Books make perfect Christmas gifts

by Nefertiti_22002



Series: Jonathan Strange ♥ Mr Norrell sequels [2]
Category: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (TV), Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
Genre: Christmas Presents, Fluff, M/M, magical discovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 07:31:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5531045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nefertiti_22002/pseuds/Nefertiti_22002
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From a request on the Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell Society of Magicians' Christmas gift sign-up sheet.</p><p>Mr Strange and Mr Norrell exchanging gifts in the Darkness.</p><p>This is a little sequel to "The Toasts of Venice" and takes place in the universe of "Jonathan Strange ♥ Mr Norrell."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Books make perfect Christmas gifts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Predatrix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Predatrix/gifts).



Christmas, 1818  
In August of 1817, the renowned magicians Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell moved their tower of Eternal Darkness to Kassel, Germany. It contained Hurtfew Abbey and, in addition to the two magicians, the small number of servants who had agreed to accompany them upon their adventures.

Initially the pair had been hailed as heroes and as a result frequently moved the Darkness to various other German cities to accept invitations to social events and to visit local archives with publications and documents relating to magic. Eventually, however, they settled down in Kassel to enjoy the friendship and aid of the two theoretical magicians, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. 

Kassel, where the brothers worked as the town librarians, had as fine a collection of texts on German magic as Hurtfew had on English magic. Norrell was allowed to take books and documents recommended by the Grimms home to read in the library at Hurtfew. Strange, who could not speak or read German, spent much of his time exploring the volumes in the Hurtfew library. He also wrote a great deal, and Mr Norrell was pleased to see that his former pupil was now so diligent in making precise records of what he was reading. 

Once a week they hosted the Grimm brothers at dinner and spent a delightful evening discussing nothing but magic, both English and German. Mr Strange was able to participate thanks to a spell from Peter Watershippe’s A FAIRE WOOD WITHERING, which allowed someone to speak and understand a language not his own. He and Mr Norrell had discovered and tested its efficacy during their stay in Venice the year before.

About sixteen months after the pair’s arrival in Kassel, their second Christmas in Germany arrived. They celebrated with a large dinner party shared with the servants and retired to the library for some time spent cuddling together on the sopha in front of the fire.

Finally Mr Strange twisted to pick up a rather bulky wrapped package from the end table by the sopha. Mr Norrell sat up straighter.

“Really, Jonathan, you need not have got anything for me. I consider that you are the best present I could receive on Christmas or any other occasion.”

“I know, Gilbert. You said that last Christmas, and on your birthday as well. I quite agree. I consider you the best possible present I could receive. But we have both given ourselves to each other already, so I think we are justified in exchanging more traditional gifts. Here is mine for you, something I offered you nearly two years ago.”

Mr Norrell’s eyes widened somewhat, and he took the package from Mr Strange, unwrapping it carefully. Inside was a stack of handwritten sheets. The text was not entirely neat, and there were some cross-outs, but it was obvious that Mr Strange had attempted to put more effort into avoiding errors than usual. 

The top sheet read: THE HISTORY AND PRACTICE OF ENGLISH MAGIC, Volume II.

Mr Norrell stared at it and then riffled through the top third or so of the stack. “So many declarations of love. Oh, Jonathan!”

He clutched the manuscript to his chest and leaned against Mr Strange, who hugged him. They kissed lingeringly.

“And there are more such declarations to come. Two more volumes. Perhaps soon enough that I shall not have to contemplate what to give you for the next Christmases to come. After that I shall be hard put to think of an appropriate present.”

“I have something for you as well, Jonathan.” Mr Norrell fetched a package from the table at the other end of the sopha. As so often happens in these cases, it was shaped exactly like what it was.

“A book! Gilbert, what more could I need than an additional one for my huge stack of unread—oh!” He stared at the cover. “GERMAN LEGENDS Volume II. Is this Jacob and Wilhelm’s latest book? I had no idea that there was going to be an English translation so soon. Especially as there is no English translation of the first volume.”

Mr Norrell smiled delightedly. “It is indeed their new book. It is the same copy of ‘DEUTSCHE SAGEN’ that you saw them give me.”

Mr Strange stared at him with a puzzled frown for a moment and then exclaimed excitedly, “Gilbert! Does this mean that you have devised a spell for translating texts?”

Mr Norrell nodded a little smugly. “Yes. I have been working on it ever since we discussed the problem in Venice. I was not able to find clues about how such a thing might work until I ran across something in one of the books from the Kassel library. It was the key to everything, and after several drafts I devised a spell that functions perfectly. By the way, it works quite differently than Watershippe’s spell for transforming one’s appearance and language. In this case, the spell must be cast on the individual text rather than the reader. That is really quite easy, however.”

“That is marvelous, Gilbert! First translated speech and now texts. Our planned travels seem more and more feasible. Oh, and it occurs to me, might you not offer the spell to Mr Thomas Young and M Jean-François Champollion? It could be of tremendous aid in the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphs.”

“So I thought myself, but I find that the spell does not work for languages no longer spoken. I believe that somehow the magic draws upon the knowledge of the language from living speakers. If no one knows the language, the magic cannot function. I am sure, though, that Mr Young and M Champollion will succeed eventually. Jonathan, look inside the back cover, for that is where the real present is.”

There was a sheet written in Mr Norrell’s neat hand inserted at the back. Mr Strange slipped it out and surveyed it.

“Very erudite and carefully composed, as always. Thank you, Gilbert, for such an extraordinary gift. Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas to you, Jonathan! How could it fail to be merry, with two such books to read? I expect that in a few days I shall be able to give you a list of my recommendations for revising yours."


End file.
